


Goodbye

by Unpredictable_Ghost



Series: Goodbye [1]
Category: Fullmetal Alchemist - All Media Types, Fullmetal Alchemist: Brotherhood & Manga
Genre: Angst, F/M, Parental Riza Hawkeye, Parental Roy Mustang, Post-Fullmetal Alchemist: Brotherhood, Royai - Freeform
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-10-16
Updated: 2020-10-16
Packaged: 2021-03-09 06:14:04
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,337
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27040033
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Unpredictable_Ghost/pseuds/Unpredictable_Ghost
Summary: Her gaze was fixated on the passing landscape that was beginning to dance in warm colours as the sun awakened for the day. Previously she wished the sun would never rise, wishing the darkness that matched their despair had chosen to stick around longer. However now she wished she could stay in this moment forever, never having to get off this train and face the pain that was awaiting her. The lump in her throat gradually had been growing over the past week as she was counting down the days.
Relationships: Riza Hawkeye/Roy Mustang, RoyAi
Series: Goodbye [1]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1973506
Comments: 4
Kudos: 15





	Goodbye

**Author's Note:**

> This is Part 1 of a series, the rest of the stories will be from varying points in Mae's life as she grows up in a life with war.

Her gaze was fixated on the passing landscape that was beginning to dance in warm colours as the sun awakened for the day. Previously she wished the sun would never rise, wishing the darkness that matched their despair had chosen to stick around longer. However now she wished she could stay in this moment forever, never having to get off this train and face the pain that was awaiting her. The lump in her throat gradually had been growing over the past week as she was counting down the days.

“How long has it been since you slept?” The dark-haired man raised his head off her shoulder, reaching his hand out to pet the sleeping dog on his lap. Grey hairs were beginning to emerge from his muzzle and the loyal dog’s age was beginning to show itself. The imprinted patterns of her shirt that was left on his cheek had signified that he himself had a rather good sleep.

Riza knew that he too felt the same but he didn’t share the same luxury of being able to spend the last moments they had as a family without work looming over his shoulder. Being a Brigadier now brought on new responsibilities, and during such a busy time, the time they did have was already limited as demands were coming in all directions rather quickly. Havoc and Breda both had offered to come help with the paperwork that Roy was bringing home by the boxes to allow him more time in the last week and gave him the time that allowed him to join them on this trip today. Riza too had her own work to do too, her share of the stacks of paper were unignorable sitting upon her desk at home but she was lucky enough to be able to push it off until after they returned.

She didn’t respond. She didn’t want to sleep. Sleeping would steal time away from her, time that she never will have again, or at least for a very long time if they thought optimistically. None the less, it would be different next time they could all be together again.

The entire carriage was silent as no one was riding the trains anymore, especially to these parts. It was too risky. She both welcomed the eerier quietness but also despised it, it allowed for her thoughts to run rampant whenever both Roy and Mae had been asleep and would return rather quickly as soon as they both fell asleep again. The silence returned as her gaze now shifted to the small child sleeping in her arms. She squeezed her arms tightly around the young girl who was barely 6 months old. That was enough of an unspoken answer for the man as he sighed, too gazing at the sleeping child.

The train's old gears began to screech as the brakes were applied and the signage that appeared as they pulled up to the small remote station greeted them with sadness. Resembool. They were quick to gather their things and step out onto the small platform where they spotted a familiar face. Ed stood there with a grin, not necessarily a happy one though unlike how they had been greeted in previous visits. They also had noticed he hadn’t brought along anyone else, typically his son would be at his side to greet them or now his daughter perhaps would’ve been old enough now too the accompany but it was just the lone blonde man. His smile was one that more temporarily pushed the sadness of the circumstances away in an attempt to make the occasion feel as if it was just like any other visit, though all of them knew very well it was no typical visits. Don’t get him wrong, he was excited to see Mae but it didn’t rid his mind of remembering the circumstances.

“So, this is the famous Mae?” Ed approached the young girl that had begun to wake in her mother’s arms. “Hopefully she only takes after her father's looks” Ed took a shot at Mustang. The young girl just looked up at Edward without a sound. Her round cheeks puffed out and mouth was agape as she took in her new surroundings. Roy went to make a shot back at the young man but Riza had shot him a glare which redirected his topic before it escaped his lips.

“Oh hey there boy” Ed bent over to greet the small dog who felt the need to make himself known. The dog knew very well despite it being so long since the last visit that ed had a habit of carrying a small biscuit in his pocket. He used to hide it from Riza, knowing she would disapprove of the small act that encouraged begging though he didn’t mind the dog jumping up on him anymore, Den defiantly was much worse for that though the old dog no longer was as active as he once was too. 

“Well, our train back leaves after dinner so we should get going” Mustang announced as he picked up the bags they had brought with them, knowing all this conversation would lead to was an awkward silence. After Ed offered to carry a bag or two himself, they began their way up the dirt road to the small house that had been visited so many times over the years. Both Mustang and Riza remembered the first visit to this house, the shock at finding the young pair of boys.

A small blonde girl sat on the steps and jumped once they were in sight. Almost in a flash, she was at their feet “Papa!” she cried as her arms raised above her head so Ed could pick her up. Seeing this added a bit of weight to Roy and Riza’s chest. Would they ever get to see this with Mae?

“Uncle Roy! Aunty Riza!” Nina yelled struggling in her father’s short-lived grasp but quickly noticed the small girl in Riza’s arms “oh! Sshhhh” She lifted her finger to her pursed lips.

“We’ve had to teach them to be quiet around babies” Ed explained as Nina was let back down and walked over to take a better look at the infant. “Nina has been the youngest in the area until now”

“Is that Mae?..... OH DOGGY!” Nina attempted to whisper initially but in excitement had been a little too loud as all the energy in her exploded and had startled the small infant. The sudden cries scared Nina as she ran back to her father and hid behind his legs. “I'm... I’m sorry!” She cried out, unsure of what to do. 

“We need to remember to be quiet” Ed looked down to his daughter, raising a finger to his lips “You just scared her, that is all. She is okay” The young girl nodded but continued to keep her distance even after Riza had managed to calm the infant back down.

“Why don’t you go let Mama know that aunty and uncle are here” Ed suggested as the girl nodded and ran back inside eagerly, the energy once again radiating from her as she announced the arrival of their guests. Black Hayate followed, bouncing with excitement at the potential of someone to play with. Den laid by the front door, barely opening an eye to greet the visitors or acknowledge the commotion that passed him. 

Ed turned back to them and gave a bit of a half-hearted laugh, “Sorry, it's still a bit of a work in progress but I’m sure she will learn fast” He rubbed the back of his neck. “Theo has a bit of a better understanding.” He gave a half-hearted chuckle as he motioned for them to go ahead inside.

They made their way inside where Winry was waiting for them, she stood at the stove preparing breakfast, fresh eggs sat on the counter on a plate still steaming in the crisp morning air while their older son sulked at the kitchen table. He was preoccupied with a book but only looked half- interested in it. Glancing up at the visitors but he quickly returned his attention to his book. The pitter-pattering of paws and small feet could be heard in the living room around the corner accompanied by bouts of giggles and yips. 

“Hey, Winry! Look who I found!” Ed called out as they entered, she dropped the spoon she was holding and dashed over, leaving the boiling pot on the stove to fret over later.

“Oh my! She is so adorable!” Winry cooed looking at the slightly alarmed Mae, so many people crowding over her wasn’t something new but it still left the infant with a bewildered reaction. 

“Shhh, Mama!” Nina walked in the room, holding her finger up to her lips.

That morning was spent eating, catching up, and setting up. They treaded around topics as they attempted to keep it as light-hearted as possible avoiding any mention of the current political situation that loomed over all of their minds. Any discussion that was required was done shortly after their assignments were given to them and they had to call Ed and Winry to ask them of a favor.

~One Week Prior~

The Phone Dialed out as Mustang rolled the cable that connected the phone to the base in-between his fingers. The letter still laid on his desk from when he opened it the day prior, he wanted to snap his fingers and burn the paper on his desk after he first read it but he knew it was unavoidable. It wasn’t until he left the office for lunch that he noticed everyone else in his squadron too had similar style letters in Infront of them, and one had sat atop of the desk right next to his. Same envelope, same markings, and the presumably same message inside.

The fire ranged inside of him; Memories of Ishval ran through his mind and fear seeped into every part of him. He stood there frozen in the office as everyone slowly gazed up at him. All with varying emotions running through them, some in denial, others had already entered the stage of acceptance, and a select few he had encountered outside of the office had actually seemed excited. Bloodthirst ran thick in their words and it disgusted him. So many soldiers here had been too young to fight in ishval and the idea a whole new generation below them would have their first taste of war soon left a heavy feeling in his chest. He looked to his team. Besides himself and Hawkeye, none of them had been in ishval. Of course, they remember that time but to see it first hand and to hear the cries is another story.

That night, he sat after dinner cradling his small daughter. The letter on his adjacent’s desk was indeed what he suspected and now they knew they had to decide, and decided rather quickly, on what to do with their daughter. His aunt was their first thought, but they both also knew she was quickly aging, and keeping up with a small infant would take a toll on her rather rapidly. They quickly realized they weren’t many people who they knew, who weren’t in the military and were being shipped off to war. It was Riza who first brought up the idea of asking the Elric’s. Mustang at first was a bit hesitant but then realized Riza had a point. They were probably the best equipped as they already had two small children and she would be in a small, remote town. If anything were to happen and Aerugo managed to overpower them, they would head straight for central.

That night, Roy was working in his study with Riza curled up on the chair in the corner with their daughter laying on her chest, both fast asleep.

“Hello?”

“Hey Edward”

“Ha, cant call me pipsqueak anymore old man” Eds laughter was staticky through the phone lines “Anyways, what’s up?.... wait why are you calling me at midnight?”

“I have a favor to ask of you” Roy took a deep breath as the other end of the line quieted down. “I’m guessing you’ve heard the news about Aerugo?”

“Yeah” Ed was now quiet, his usual loud and boisterous voice was more serious.

“Riza and I have both been notified we are to be on the front lines, in a month….” The lump in his throat grew as he tried to get the following words out of his mouth “We were wondering if you can take care of Mae”

~Back to Present Time~

Roy and Riza had been brought up to their daughter’s new room and given some time to add their own items to it.

“This was Nina’s and Theo’s Nursery as babies” Winry reminisced. “of course, we removed most of our stuff so it would be more Mae’s room for the time being” and it was true. A crib, chair, some plain white curtains, and a dresser was all that remained in the room. The walls remained a shade a white with the aging wooden floor that creaked beneath their feet.

The two spent a fair amount of time in the room, taking turns holding Mae and spending as much time as they could with her. Riza had worked on hanging some photos, hoping they would not be needed but if the war lasted longer than they anticipated or if… the unspeakable happened then there would be something other than a newspaper clipping for her to remember them by. Even a small photo album sat in the bottom drawer of the dresser… just in case.

“Roy…” Riza spoke as she looked at the photo, she had just finished anchoring to the wall. It was of Mustang holding Mae, just after she was born. “What if… What if we don’t…” The words kept escaping her, she knew she shouldn’t talk like this but it was impossible not to let the thoughts flood her brain once they began to seep. 

“We won't” He took his gaze away from his daughter in his arms and looked up to his wife. “She won't even remember us being gone when she’s older, remember?” He wished he sounded more confident in that response but they had this conversation many times over the past week. That was what they choose to believe. The war would be over shortly, Amestris would be safe once again and they could return before Mae would even remember. Riza’s shoulders sagged as she turned and reached out her hands asking for a turn.

He returned to looking through the bags and finding the small bedding, removing the plain bedding the Elric’s had left he replaced it with Mae’s light blue set, clouds adorned it. Her favorite bear that his aunt had gifted sat on the dresser, alongside the other small stuffies that most were from their team. The final item left in the bag was a small dog bed, they knew Hayate wouldn’t give up his habit of sleeping in Mae’s room and it did offer some comfort to them. The soft bed sat there as an invite and hopefully would relieve some of the pressure on the aging dog's joints, even if at times he did behave like a puppy still. It did feel a bit more like home once they were done and a soft knock came from the door.  
It was Ed, informing them that dinner was ready if they would like to join. It was then they realized how soon it was till they had to leave. They realized too how long they had been in that room, they eventually made their way down to the dining room and though they ate very little to nothing, they took turns holding Mae, Theo, and Nina’s chatter filled the quiet room talking about their adventures of the day. Neither of them had even noticed how fast the afternoon had gone by.

“Hey, why don’t you two go find something to listen to on the radio, we will play a board game when we get back” Ed stood up, glancing at the clock. Half an hour until their train.

“Okay!” The two children jumped from their seats, leaving their dirty dishes behind on the table and Winry was about to call after them but then stopped herself. The two ran into another room, clearly excited about their task at hand. The children may have seen it as a fun activity but in reality, it was a distraction.

“I... guess we should be heading out” Roy mumbled.

“I'll walk you guys to the station” Ed stood and grabbed his coat and hat, Roy and Riza stood too but then Riza passed Mae to Roy and went running upstairs for a moment. She returned with a knitted blanket and wrapped the infant up.

“It gets pretty cold out once the sun sets” She then threw on her own military-issued jacket before taking the infant back to allow Roy to throw his own black jacket on.

“I wish you two good luck” Winry stepped over “But we will take good care of her and she will be waiting for you guys, try and visit if you can” sorrow grew as she talked and there, we no smiles shared upon them departing. They agreed that Mae would join them at the train station and Ed would carry her back home.

“Well be back soon” Riza knelt to pat the loyal dog's head, “Be good”, a gentle kiss on his forehead and a small pat on the head from Roy was their finals goodbyes before leaving the warmth of the house and on their way to the train.

The walk was silent as Ed lead them along the path and they were passing their daughter back and forth. Had she even been out of their arms for more than a few seconds today? Riza pondered.

The train had just arrived when they reached the platform. It was a very short stop in Resembool so it was unsaid that this was going to be a quick goodbye, much quicker than they wanted.

“Once again, thank you so much” Roy’s strained voice was holding back. He and Riza were standing across from the Edward, they both were saying their last goodbyes to their daughter. Riza clutched her as the tears began to fall. A pang of hurt stabbed Ed in the heart at the scene. He had never seen her cry. Ed and Al both had joked about that once, Al admitted he had seen her cry once and Ed had refused to believe it.

“Thank you, Ed” Riza spoke softly, Ed was caught off guard with this as it was not the Riza he remembered. Her strict and collected demeanor was gone and instead, it was replaced with a tone of vulnerability. She clung onto Mae as she lowered her head, before passing her to Mustang.

The train's whistle blew for the last call as Mustang took a deep breath before passing the small infant, bundled in the soft blanket over to Ed. Immediately she became distressed and began to cry out. She knew she was no longer in familiar arms and It took everything in them to not reach out for her, instead of turning their back and climbing onto the train. Their legs felt so weighted down as they fought the instinct to run back, oh how easy it would be to turn around, let the train leave, and be allowed to watch their daughter grow up, but both of them knew that wasn’t an option. Ed attempted to calm the small infant but her cries grew and the doors of the train were latched. Wheels began turning and Ed shot them a thumbs up as the train pulled away.

That night, back in the quiet townhouse in central. It was a restless night. Tomorrow the paperwork awaited them and soon, another train to take them to the front lines.


End file.
